India’s chess sensation, D Gukesh, has stunned the chess world by defeating Ding Liren in the final round of the World Chess Championship this month. The Chennai player has now been crowned the ‘new king’ of the chess world. He is currently celebrating this huge achievement with his fans and family. Because of this, the 18-year-old has decided to skip the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship, scheduled to take place in New York from December 26-31. This means the World Chess Championship will be his last tournament for 2024. The young chess sensation will return to play in 2025, ready to face new challenges.
The upcoming year promises to be an exciting one for Gukesh, with some tough opponents lined up. He will face his compatriot, Arjun Erigaisi, Norwegian Magnus Carlsen twice, and his idol, Vishwanathan Anand once. Gukesh’s 2025 journey will kick off with a competition in India. Let’s take a look at the competitions he will be taking part in 2025.
Tata Steel Chess 2025
The first major event of 2025 for Gukesh will be the Tata Steel Chess Tournament (January 7-February 2). Gukesh has participated in this tournament before and will again compete against Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa. Last year, he lost in the final to China’s Wei Yi, but this year, the player will be eying a win.
Freestyle Chess Grand Slam 2025
In February (7-14), Gukesh will take part in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. The tour will be held in five countries: Germany (Weissenhaus), India (Delhi), France (Paris), the USA (New York), and South Africa (Cape Town). In this competition, Gukesh will face his idol Vishwanathan Anand and World number 1 player Magnus Carlsen.
Norway Chess 2025
Next, Gukesh will participate in the prestigious Norway Chess 2025 event (May 26-June 6) in Stavanger. Along with Wei Yi, he will compete against Magnus Carlsen and Arjun Erigaisi. Gukesh had finished third in the 2023 edition of this event, which was also the first time he worked with his current coach, Grzegorz Gajewski. This partnership has been highly successful, helping Gukesh win the Candidates Tournament and now become the youngest World Chess Champion in history.
